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Baby safety gates aren't always safe, study finds

In this March 26, 2014, photo provided by Nationwide Children's Hospital, Jessica Fannon talks to her daughter, Ella, though a mounted baby gate in her home in Grove City, Ohio. When she was just 9 months old Ella pushed through a tension-mounted gate and fell down 14 steps. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Nationwide Children's Hospital)

CHICAGO ó Baby gates meant to protect young children arenít always as safe as parents think. A new study says nearly 2,000 U.S. kids get emergency room treatment each year from injuries resulting from falling through or climbing on these gates.

Most injuries werenít serious, but the researchers say parents should know about precautions. That includes using bolted gates, not pressure-mounted ones, at the top of the stairs.

Researcher Lara McKenzie and colleagues at Nationwide Childrenís Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, examined data on kids up to age 6.

The number injured on gates more than tripled over 20 years. These cases climbed from about 4 per 100,000 children in 1990 to almost 13 per 100,000 in 2010.

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The study was published online Monday in the journal Academic Pediatrics.